When Coquitlam's Spencer Edwards was named captain of the Moose Jaw Warriors at the start of this Western Hockey League season, he knew he had to perform both in the rink and outside it -- specifically, at the hospital.
Edwards' decision to gather his teammates regularly to visit sick children played a big factor in the gritty 20-year-old forward being named the recipient of the WHL Humanitarian of the Year award at a Wednesday luncheon in Calgary.
Officially called the Doug Wickenheiser Memorial Trophy in honour of the late scoring great with the WHL Regina Pats who went on to play with five NHL teams, the award goes to the player who sets the standard of how to best serve his community as a whole.
In Edwards' case, he immediately knew where much of his off-ice time would be spent.
"I really wanted to do it," Edwards told The Tri-City News regarding his dedication and commitment to the Moose Jaw Union Hospital pediatrics ward during his final year of junior eligibility. "And I wanted to do it not just for this year, but as something that will be carried on by our team captains in the coming years."
Edwards racked up 66 points, including 27 goals, in 63 games during the regular season and is also regarded as a defensive specialist. But it was the hours he logged in the hospital -- playing cards or board games, or simply just chatting with the kids -- that made him a complete person, as well.
"It was amazing," said the five-foot-11, 185-pound Edwards. "Whenever I left the hospital after visiting the kids, there was no feeling like it. To see their struggles, it was heart-breaking at times. I have a younger brother and younger sister and I can't imagine what it would be like to watch them have to go through something like that."
Edwards added winning an award named after Wickenheiser made it that much more special. Wickenheiser, who passed away at age 37 in 1999 due to cancer, was renowned for his charitable contributions. An arena in his hometown of Regina now bears his name and Fourteen Fund team charity honours the number he wore with the St. Louis Blues, with whom he spent most of his NHL career in the 1980s.
"I know about his great contributions off the ice," Edwards said about Wickenheiser, whose cousin, Hayley, is captain of Team Canada's women's ice hockey team. "He gave a lot and, not just him, but his whole family also. The Wickenheiser name is pretty high-profile in the hockey world."
Edwards isn't the only player with Tri-Cities connections to have won the WHL Humanitarian of the Year award. Colin Fraser, who played for the Jr. 'B' Port Coquitlam Buckeroos (now Port Moody Black Panthers) received the honour as a member of the WHL Red Deer Rebels after the 2004-05 season.
Edwards said he plans to spend summer at the family home in Coquitlam before choosing what path he'll take come fall.
"I'm considering playing pro hockey but also maybe attending university," Edwards said. "I haven't really decided which way I want to go yet."
Unlike the start of this hockey season, where he knew precisely where he was headed once he left the rink.
The hospital's pediatrics ward.
